


The Royal Order of Q

by JustJenn



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Background Relationships, British honour awards, Gen, I made one up, I use British spelling, Knight Commander, Post-Skyfall, That's Sir Q to you, what the hell is Q's real name?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-14 15:09:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9187868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJenn/pseuds/JustJenn
Summary: Q receives an unexpected surprise at work.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Cait Maire for the beta reading and the lovely folks on the 00Q Facebook group.  
> Feedback is loved.

    “Q, M wants to see you right away in his office,” Eve Moneypenny said in a serious voice from the doorway. 

   Q sighed and put down his soldering iron, yanked off his safety goggles and put on his glasses.  “Now?” 

   “Right now,” Eve replied watching with thinly concealed amusement has Q stood up with a groan has his back protested the movement.  “You might want to change out of your lab coat. We’ve got an important visitor in the office.”

   “Bloody wonderful.  Let me guess: another useless politician?” Q groused as he shucked off his lab coat and grabbed the first cardigan he found. Eve recoiled at the eye blinding colours. 

   “Not that one!” Eve exclaimed, grabbing the offending garment out of his hands and tossing it towards the hazardous waste disposal bin. “Don't you have something nicer in your office? I know James gave you a nice cardigan last Christmas.”

   Q sighed deeply as they left the R&D room,  went to his office and carefully took out James’ Christmas gift.  It was a beautiful grey cardigan from Taylor and Lloyds. It was made from cashmere wool and probably cost more than the mortgage on his apartment.

  “You might want to fix your hair,” Eve hinted. Q heaved dramatic sigh and went into the small bathroom and vigorously attacked his hair and for good measure, brushed his teeth.  He even found a small sample of cologne that he carefully applied to himself.

  “Do I pass inspection?” Q demanded as they walked to M’s office.

   “You clean up nicely, ” Eve answered with a smile before knocking on M’s door. “Just a word of advice: mind your P’s and Q’s. He is a very important guest.”

  Q shrugged his shoulders and went into M’s public office.  It was designed to impress and intimidate visitors. There were several bookcases crammed with books on civil, military and international law, famous and infamous case files and Q knew that there was an excellent assortment of spy novels on the shelves. The walls were done in pale blue framed with artwork that was on loan from the National Art Gallery of England. The room was dominated by an oak desk and two Queen Anne chairs that had somehow survive the devastating attack on their old headquarters.

 “Q. Very nice of you to join us,” Mallory said coming forward to shake his hand much to Q’s surprise. “This is Lord Gabriel Milton, the Earl of Stafford. He is a private secretary to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.”

  “Mr.Q, I have been directed by Her Majesty to give you this letter,” Lord Milton said in a solemn voice holding out a cream coloured envelope. 

  Q’s hands were slightly shaking when he opened the envelope and read the letter. In fact he read it five times as the words “Order of Bath” and “Knight Commander”  slowly started to sink in.

   “Why me?” Q exclaimed in a bewildered voice. “I mean, there are more worthy people than me. I haven't done anything to warrant this.”

    “Mr. Q,  Her Majesty is well aware of the contributions you have made to safeguard Great Britain,” Lord Milton said firmly. Mallory had warned him that Q would start to play down his accomplishments. “No foreign government has penetrated Great Britain's firewalls since you have been in charge of cyber security. Under your watch, MI6 has not lost a single agent in five years.”

  Mallory nodded in agreement.  Since the Double OO program had started in the 1960’s, MI6 lost one or two agents a year but the rate of attrition from 1980's until mid 2000’s had doubled. Major Boothroyd, the previous Q, had done his best but it had become very obvious the man couldn't keep up with the new and evolving technology: exploding pens where no match against a hacker with a cup of tea.

  The new Q had been a god send, and Major Boothroyd has made it perfectly clear he was training his successor. He had given the young man free reign to recruit anyone he saw fit, and the older employees who complained bitterly about that ‘young upstart’ found themselves transferred out of MI6 or forcibly retired. 

   “I know there are a number of other things you have done for Queen and Country that I'm not cleared to know about,” Lord Milton said candidly while Mallory nodded in agreement thinking about some of Q's most successful missions:  Q had hacked a secret North Korean military satellite and caused it to blow up on the launch pad.

  Q had also hacked Iran’s Secret Service servers and had stolen a list of their oversea sleeper cells, agents, and their financial backers. In turn, MI6 had shared that information with the ASI, CSIS, EIA, the CIA and Mossad and those organizations had reacted accordingly. 

  “My identity-” Q started to say.

  “Will not be comprised,” Mallory replied firmly. “ Your name will not be published in any official or unofficial news briefing. In fact the only people who know about this is myself, Her Majesty, and Lord Stafford. The Prime Minister will not know about it since the recipients are chosen solely by the Queen.”

  “Your name will only be made public if you choose so or upon your death,” Lord Milton explained and Q sighed in relief. His family thought he worked a boring job in cyber security at Global Exports and he wanted to keep it that way.

  “I'm sorry you can't attend the official ceremony,” Lord Milton said regretfully thinking about the magnificent ceremony held at Westminster Abbey and the private party that was held at The Savoy Hotel.  


  “I do have this for you, with Her Majesty’s compliments,” Lord Milton said a broad smile, and took an oversize leather case off of M’s desk and handed it to Q.

  Q opened the leather case and stared in awe at  the first badge: it was  a plain gold oval, bearing three crowns on the obverse side, and a rose, a thistle and a shamrock, emanating from a sceptre on the reverse side; both emblems are surrounded by a ring bearing the motto of the Civilian Order:  **TRIA IUNCTA IN UNO.**

  The second badge was a smaller replicate of the first badge that was suspended on a red velvet ribbon and was meant to worn around the neck.

  “My God,” Q muttered in a stunned voice has Mallory and Sir Milton smiled at the young man.

   “Put them on, and I’ll snap a picture with your phone,” Mallory urged with a smile and Q carefully pinned heavy gold badge on his sweater and tied the ribbon around his neck. 

   It’s a pity, Lord Milton thought to himself that he was unable to bring the robes of the Order of Bath: Q would have cut a dashing figure.

   “Q please make sure you send me a picture so I can show it to Her Majesty,” Lord Milton said pulling out a card business card and handing it to Q. “ There’s also a pamphlet that you can read at your leisure about your Rights and Privileges.”

  “Rights and Privileges?” Q echoed with a blank look while Mallory fought a smile. Q was going to be in for big shock.

   “You and your children have the right to be married at Westminster Abbey.  You have the right to have the initials “KCB” after your name,” Lord Milton explained cheerfully ticking each ‘Right’ off his fingers.

  “You may display the Order's red circlet around your Coat of Arms,” Lord Milton said ignoring Q’s sharp intake of breath, “Please remember to pick something appropriate for your motto. 

   “You also have the right to prefix ‘Sir to your last name,” Lord Milton with grin at Q’s dumbfounded expression. “So once again, congratulations Sir Anthony Lyons!”

 

End

 


End file.
